Buffalo Bills Marcell Dareus to enter substance abuse program

Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Marcell Dareus will enter a substance abuse program to have felony drug charges against him dismissed.

In early May, Dareus was stopped by an Alabama state trooper and was charged with possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, according to the Associated Press. If Dareus completes the program successfully, his charges will be dismissed and his criminal record will be erased, reports ESPN.

Dareus’s attorney Rod Giddens told WKBW that Dareus will have to participate in the NFL substance abuse program and provide the court updates on his rehabilitation.

Dareus was arrested again a month later for an accident that was supposedly caused by a drag race, as we previously reported. His eventful offseason continued yesterday when Dareus failed his conditioning test with the Bills and was placed on the active/ non-football injury list.

The NFL could still discipline Dareus for either of his arrests during the offseason.

The third overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Dareus had 7.5 sacks, 71 combined tackles and made the Pro Bowl for the first time last season, according to ESPN Stats.